I have been hearing and learning quite a lot, of recent, about neurodivergence. Along those lines, I was recently reading through an ex-cofc subReddit. One poster felt there were parallels between the cofc rules based religion and certain aspects of the autism spectrum. I began to wonder...is it possible that some of the earliest cofc pioneers (1950s era or before) could have created the rigid rules for their own feelings of safety and need for order and repetition...rather than based on scripture? Thus, that's the way we always slice the bread? Could there have been some neurodivergence present, as opposed to just cultural norms? For example:
---services three times a week. No more, no less.
---services all the same and within rigid comfort zone.
---demands that all adhere to the rules of the most devout.
---lord's supper, Sunday morning, matzoh crackers and Welch's.
---must say the correct words...ex: preacher not pastor, etc.
Anyone have thoughts? I know we've discussed OCD, depression, and severe anxiety as part of the cofc experience, but perhaps not this.
The cofc and neurodivergence?
The cofc and neurodivergence?
~Stone Cold Ivyrose Austin~
Re: The cofc and neurodivergence?
I don' know if it was designed that way, but I do think it provides comfortable landing spot for people with OCD tendencies, and anxiety.
History is the fiction we invent to persuade ourselves that events are knowable and that life has order and direction. That's why events are always reinterpreted when values change. We need new versions of history to allow for our current prejudices.
Re: The cofc and neurodivergence?
I am probably autistic though not officially diagnosed as such My niece and first cousins have advanced psychology degrees and while not ethically allowed to diagnose me as a close relative they tell me I would be . I dont think autism played a big role in the CoC because we are too good at seeing patterns and inconsistencies in what people do and say. COC theology makes no logical sense and its claims are just not true. These are things autistic people detest. Lies, inconsistency , and illogical behavior.
I *DO* think there may have been a lot of pathological behavior and pathological thinking in some of the shit stirrers in the COC wanting to fight over everything. They picked the weirdest doctrines that they knew someone would fall for and alienate them from everyone else in the religious world Paul talked about this about the judaizers. They wanted to alienate Paul's followers from Paul so they could use them for their own support.
I *DO* think there may have been a lot of pathological behavior and pathological thinking in some of the shit stirrers in the COC wanting to fight over everything. They picked the weirdest doctrines that they knew someone would fall for and alienate them from everyone else in the religious world Paul talked about this about the judaizers. They wanted to alienate Paul's followers from Paul so they could use them for their own support.
The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it.----Karl Marx
Re: The cofc and neurodivergence?
I will give you one example.
When the Church of Christ split from the Christian Church in 1906 ior thereabouts it was not a really even sided split like CoC preachers tried to make it out to be. About a million people stayed in what would be the Christian Church but only about 30 to 40 thousand stayed what would be COC. And all those stories about people having to leave a church because instruments were introduced is not dealt with honestly. Lots of times it was 200 members and the leadership wanting them and only 5 people messed themselves and left. The stories of congregants throwing out elders and huge chunks of a local church membership over an organ are simply in most cases dubious.
When the Church of Christ split from the Christian Church in 1906 ior thereabouts it was not a really even sided split like CoC preachers tried to make it out to be. About a million people stayed in what would be the Christian Church but only about 30 to 40 thousand stayed what would be COC. And all those stories about people having to leave a church because instruments were introduced is not dealt with honestly. Lots of times it was 200 members and the leadership wanting them and only 5 people messed themselves and left. The stories of congregants throwing out elders and huge chunks of a local church membership over an organ are simply in most cases dubious.
The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it.----Karl Marx